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but you can feel it too we’re getting there we’re getting ready oh yeah well I once you’re in the month of July for me it’s like there’s a part of and even though I’m not in the NFL there’s your body clock is telling you get back into the NFL and it’s time the vacation’s over with you need to get going and it’s time to start working on the teams which is this week has been kind of a busy week for me but I definitely have been spending more time on these teams working through it so yeah there’s kind of like the the birds that flock away you know there’s a time where you head south there’s a time where you head North now is the time to get ready for football yeah and we thought in these you know few early weeks in July that maybe it would be a little bit slower from a news standpoint because we’ve got a little bit before training camps and guys are actually back on the field getting pads on hanging out with each other but between Hard Knocks we’ve got the new series on Netflix with wide receiver and then we find out in the news today that the Titans made a signing they’re bringing over former uh Seattle Seahawk safety Jamal Adams but you always say we shouldn’t even call him a safety no he’s a linebacker I mean he has to play linebacker he’s unfortunately the league if he played in the mid 80s he would have been a pro bowl player there’s no question he’s tough he’s physical he’s Joey Browner but the game has changed and if you want to you know because of the 11 personnel because of everybody you know one of the things that we when I talk to people in the league and I always say this like it’s no longer down in distance it’s no longer first second or third down it’s what formation is on the field that determines the the ability of the player to play you know if you’re Chris Spielman in his Heyday at Ohio State you know and you’re coming out in the draft well today you would probably be a 12 person you would probably not play against 11 personnel probably wouldn’t play against 12 Personnel you you know there’s formations that you’re not going to be on the field and that’s what’s happened to Jamal Adams like at 11 personnel he’s going to have to play in the box at linebacker can he hold up in the Run game and that’s an issue can he hold up against powerful people that’s an issue you know what what he got away with was the ability to attack the pocket work you know utilize his size against little running backs trying to block him but once team said no no no we’re not doing that anymore we’re going to put a big guy on him then he lost his Effectiveness yeah he had nine and a half sacks in 2020 that first season with Seattle but to your point about can he hold up I think from an injury standpoint that’s important to think about too because he’s missed so much time over the last two years just 10 games played dealt with a knee dealt with that quad injury um so it’ll be interesting to see if he can make an impact in Tennessee obviously this is a team that is rebuilding has a new head coach and is trying to figure a lot of things out also last night so in addition to a little NFL news last night we saw Team USA basketball in action for the first time in an exhibition against Canada they won the game but there were a lot of fans that were upset about how they won the game they were very slow starting but it’s I think it’s good to have a little bit of perspective and LeBron said it himself after the game we’ve only had four days together it’s going to come yeah just relax everybody I mean it takes time we just don’t dominate you know you what you want to do is Peak at the right time you don’t want to Peak too early you don’t want to Peak at the wrong time and I think ultimately you know they’ve had four practices I think the coaches are going to learn who they who they best situated with I think the addition of Derek white who they brought on and upset Jaylen Brown to no end is another indication of how this all fits together as a team so we just have to be patient look we have the best players in the world there’s no question about that I don’t know what Dylan Brooks was talking about you know that guy to me he he needs glasses I don’t know what game he watches half the time so uh yeah I just be patient we’ll be fine I mean they’ll figure this out and we’ll see who gets the minutes and who doesn’t well and and you referenced there Michael the biggest story about Team USA in the last 24 hours might not even be on the court but off it Derek white replaces Kawhi Leonard on the roster as Leonard continues to nurse that right knee injury that he aggravated during the NBA playoffs and so it’s white that steps in and not Jaylen Brown who is probably like people think of him as kind of a Kawhi Leonard 2.0 because of what he can do on both ends of the floor he just won Finals MVP Eastern Conference Finals MVP and he has three of his Celtics teammates that are on this team and he’s not one of them he took to social media right away three emojis monacle faces saying what the heck is going on basically tweets at Nike this is what we doing obviously he is not read by Nike Dereck white is we’re just going to throw that out there but you said earlier and I think you and I think you framed it nicely though you said like so much about Team USA isn’t necessarily about Talent it’s about fit right and and and look it is about the shoes too let’s face it Nike’s taking a beating here they need all the help they can get right now right I think to me you know and so if they are they going to want one of their guys they want somebody come in or wear an Adidas or wearing New Balance or some other shoes so you know look this is the shoe game has been part of basketball right it it has been part of the world we live in it is everything it’s why kids go I mean one of the re you know you know Oregon’s Nike University of Washington’s Adidas right Texas Tech just left Under Armour to go to Adidas it matters to some kids it matters and you know Nike’s popularity I don’t you know their stock prices gone way down I don’t know if popularity’s gone down Michael also in the basketball world I don’t know if you saw but bronny James did get back on the court the load management was over he played against Miami he needs that you know stormmy at at 18 years old you have to have load management I mean I don’t think it’s impo you can’t go out there night after night at 18 come on stormmy stop I love getting you riled up um so from a shooting perspective wasn’t great he had three points one of three from the floor uh did Miss A free throw seven points total in his career seven points total in his career in summer Le but I want to give him a little bit of credit Michael he had five rebounds three assists three blocks and two steals second on the team with a plus eight rating can we give him a little credit a little bit a little bit I am not anti I am not anti bronie I wish the kid nothing but the BET what I’m anti is creating a story out of nothing and and this kid doesn’t deserve the attention that he’s getting yes he’s the son of LeBron but Michael Jordan’s son didn’t get this attention you know he went and played college he didn’t play at a major level but still like for me this is unfair and to the kid it puts more expectations on him it’s a little bit my feeling last year with big Danny O at the worldwide leader trying to say well you know Justin Field’s going to be the MVP why are you putting that kind of pressure on that kid that kid doesn’t need that it’s all he can do to learn how to play quarterback and you start mounting a campaign on putting MVP things on the kid it hurts the kid more than helps him yeah I know you’re a Justin Fields fan but don’t put that pressure on him to say something ridiculous you don’t go from being a bad player to the MVP so it’s the same thing with Brony he could barely play wasn’t all Conference in high school he didn’t start for he didn’t play much for USC understand he’s coming off the the heart condition and all that but like can we just temper it down a little bit I I I why is brony the story and JJ rck not coaching in the godd darn summer league the story that should be the story that is a that was a unique choice I will say and I know we broke that down the other day that you have guys like Steve Kerr Jason kid all of which thought it was important as former players to go out there and get that experience in summer league JJ reck elects not to but for bronny James yeah he’s a he’s a number 55 pick that’s going to be critiqued like he’s a lottery pick because of the opportunity that he has he also signed a contract that no other number 55 pick is going to be able to sign and it’s a cool story with him and LeBron but at the end of the day to your point he’s not Ken kriy Jr right like this isn’t the same situation of him playing with his dad this is a guy who is probably going to play in the g-league probably going to get on the court with his dad a couple times and it’ll be it’ll be awesome speaking of you know father son working together Deion Sanders Big 12 media days he made his way out shador was on the podium as well uh Star Quarterback for Colorado expected to be a high draft pick coming up in this next season and protecting shador is going to be a priority for CU in year two under Dion Sanders of the 133 teams in FBS all of the things that had to do with getting sacked and protection they’re ranking 130 131 132 it was not good for them and Dion took to the podium and said that he is going to be judged more critically not only for the play on the field but in the classroom in a lot of other elements as well take a listen I’m I’m judged on a different scale i i m m my wins are totally different than your wins your wins you just judging football that’s why I have to start out and give you education and academics and so forth I have to give you those things so you understand there’s a greater scope I can’t win nine games and we our GPA suffers our GPA can’t be high but we lose another eight games we we can’t not go and grab high school players and you got a bunch you guys in the portal uh out of the portal that’s getting incarcerated my wins are different we have to win in every area that’s the way we’re judged and I’m cool with that and yes he he does bring a lot of that on himself but good points made and and like we always say Michael pressure is a priv privilege and there’s going to be a lot of pressure on Dion no question but look if you want to graduate a lot of kids it’s you can’t take a lot of transfers cuz sometimes those transfer credits don’t come in and so you’re a little bit of a problem I mean he’s reshaped the roster I mean this wasn’t the rhetoric that he used last year in terms of having to get better players look I’m rooting for Dion I really am I hope he can kind of get this thing CU Colorado there’s nothing prettier than Boulder Colorado in October in that scenery there I think it’s a tremendous venue I think the school’s incredible Boulder’s an exceptionable town to to spend time in so I I hope they can you know they can get this program turned around because it is at one time it was a a great when they were in the big with Nebraska and Oklahoma they were right there with Bill McCartney well and and what you said too Michael about the 42 transfers that they have coming in this season I listened to a full like half hour long interview that he did with Joel clatt this off season and he talked so much about how what he really takes the most pride in is the development of the player and the person and the man and it’s like but yeah but you only see him for a year maybe not and they leave how much development are we really able to do in that time that was at least just my thinking but like you said we wish nothing but the best it’s good for the sport of college football when CU is good and hopefully that status remains wi total sitting at six for the CU buff Juiced to the over we’ll be right back no way no doubt coming [Music] up this is the Lombardi line with former NFL executive Michael Lombardi now here is your host stormy batony on VN the sports betting Network the NFL pre-season will be here before you know it and lucky for you our Von experts have been hard at work all offseason putting together our new Von NFL betting guide this thing has comprehensive team profiles with power ratings and win total predictions proven betting systems and trends like how to win using betting splits plus top picks for season win totals Futures props Awards markets and so much more but in order to get the guide you need to be a vent Pro subscriber and right now when you use our code for this show Lombardi we’re offering you a special deal instead of the usual $200 $4 price you can get Von Pro right now for just $199 and when you use that code we’re throwing in an extra month for free that’s 13 months of access to everything Von has to offer in addition to the guides we’ve got the daily betting splits round the-clock video content premium analysis exclusive betting splitz data and so much more don’t miss out on our allnew NFL betting guide and this offer head to vn.com subscribe that’s vs.com subscribe and use that promo code Lombardi to cash in do you disagree with these takes no way uh-uh no way or do you approve oh no doubt no doubt no doubt my mind no diggity no doubt it’s time to ask Michael Lombardi no way or no doubt let’s do it what’s Michael on board with and what are we saying no way not going to happen starting with college football because conference realignment is insane this year we’re seeing 15 teams on the move over the last 2 years 33 teams in new places all of the big four power conferences seeing turnover this season so no way or no doubt Michael at least two teams will win their new conference in year 1 in 2024 what do you think I think there’s no doubt they will I mean I’m going to say Utah is going to win their new that’s one and there’s a good chance there’s one there’s a good chance Oregon could win their new one right so you the Big 10 I know Ohio State’s the prohibitive favor there but I think in the big big 12 and then you know I’m not even counting you know some of the teams in the All-American conference there so the ACC I don’t think Cal is going to be able to come in there and win that but you give Texas a shot in the SEC maybe give Texas a shot in the Southeast Conference yeah so I’m going to go too why not why not stormy I’m all for it I know that you have loved all the Team USA Basketball talk today this roster has been very hyped and for good reason with all of the talent on producer Elliot Bowman was out at the exhibition yesterday saying it’s pretty dang cool to see Steph Curry and LeBron James throwing it to each other on the court at the same time no way or no doubt Michael this is the best Team USA roster since the 92 Dream Team well that’s always hard for me because I mean you put Bird magic Jordan on a team how do you compete with that right I mean who in their Prime in their Prime think about that Bird magic Jordan in their Prime no I don’t think anything’s going to be able to this is a good team but you know you had Barkley on some of those teams too uh yeah no I think that that not we’re talking about the 80 92 team nothing could be nothing’s going to be like that I know that’s since then but no I’m you’re not getting me there I I’ll say no way it’s definitely a tough comparison legendary names and obviously the game is different now from what it was at that time but yeah I feel you there let’s stick with this theme though because obviously big news in the last 24 hours Derrick White makes the roster Jaylen Brown does not no way or no doubt Brown deserves to be on the Team USA roster for what he has shown on the court well I think if you trust uh you know the team if you trust the people making the calls if you trust uh you know Steve Kerr as the coach and all those things then I think you did make the right call look it’s not about the most talented players it’s about what fits in the team so I’ll Trust the Judgment of the people that are experts in basketball we’ve talked a lot about the Giants offseason hard knocks this week and the way that everything has been handled with saquin Barkley at running back and him ultimately leaving the team no way or no doubt the Giants should have matched the Eagles offer for saquan they should have given it to him beforehand I mean I don’t understand the difference between 2023 and 24 it’s we were talking about $2.5 million a cap that went up over $35 million above what they expected I mean find the money somewhere you know look in this look in the look in the cushions in the couch you know get Daniel Jones to give you some extra money I mean like people think that’s a ridiculous statement No it’s not you’ve never done a contract before you know you start that conversation as soon as he got the ACL surgery look we’re going to need to figure out a way to where we can help you and you can help us if you’re going to come back as a starting quarterback we need to do something here I mean I promise you any team any team that would have taken over the Giants any general manager have walked in there and said okay what’s the issue the main thing in any business is to keep the main thing the main thing and the main thing was to get that contract under control instead they’re just acting like oh well we can’t pay he can’t we can’t pay him 40 million to hand it off that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard in my life and you can tell that ownership John mea walking in the room was not pleased with letting saquin Barkley walk but that relationship has soured and as we said yesterday playing that phone call between saquin and Joe Shane you can tell in his voice there’s no love lost in that relationship one might say in New York they made a giant mistake okay moving on there are a handful of deals still to be done in terms of quarterback contracts we have Dak Prescott two a tungo byoa Jordan love no way or no doubt we’ll see at least one new quarterback deal prior to training camps so in the next couple weeks no doubt we will I think they’re working diligently on it I think look clearly two is not getting the guarantees that he’s looking for again he made the comment the market is the market but I do think that whether love gets it I think Stafford could get it I think Stafford they’re they know they’ve got to deal with Stafford they know this and I truly believe they will deal with it and I think they’ll get something done Leonard forette agent had Adam schfer post on social media earlier this week that forette is in shape and wants to be in training camp also saw the signing this morning of Jamal Adams to the Titans which leads us to an interesting conversation no way or no doubt I mean maybe not with Jamal Adams based on your comments earlier but no way or no doubt there are still difference making players available in free agency no way there’s not I mean there’s role players that could make a difference and help your team but difference making no now I say that last year jvon Clown’s off the street 19 and and Van Noy was on the MCA show and they both ended up making a difference to what they did but it was scheme as much as anything look forette you would say why does he go play in Dallas well they already have that kind of back in Zeke Elliott right they don’t need a plotter they need a loose play Maybe It’s Duce vaugh but I think to me it’s all about fit look I think if he’s in shape and he comes in and demonstrates that his weight’s down and he’s in good shape then he’ll have a chance to come back everybody’s looking for that one guy problem is with veteran stormy is if they make the team you got to guarantee their salary for the whole season we’re not too far off from the playoff Lenny days but I know at the running back position it’s always tough uh out here in Vegas star running back Devonte Adams was asked about the quarterback position and said while he doesn’t have a preference between Aiden oconnell or Garner mchu he said he thinks it’s Aiden’s job right now he’s doing what he’s got to do to hold on to it no way or no doubt Aiden o Connell gives the Raiders a better chance to win than Gardner minu uh I think Aiden okono is going to win it I don’t know if he gives him a better chance I would say yes but no way I’m not sure either of them give him a better chance but what’s interesting that I’m glad you brought this up today so they asked they asked Aaron Rogers the general manager of the Jets if he you know if he he misses Devonte Adams now here’s another contract that has to get rectified here Devonte Adams is quietly that wasn’t part of the offseason program only went to mini camp because he had to and didn’t do much right there there is going to have to be some kind of way to where they get his contract under order and we heard Rogers say today coming off a golf course that he would love to be able to throw the ball to Devonte Adams again it’s worth noting it’s worth noting worth noting that’s something we might have to dive in a little deeper when you’re back on the show on Sunday uh I got one more here for you former Carolina Panther star Luke Keeley on up in Adams this week was asked if he would take Pete Cam Newton or Peak Lamar Jackson as his QB if given the choice take a listen you got to see Cam’s MVP season yeah firsthand would you take Pak Lamar or P cam I’m taking I’m partial to cam and I’ll say this I think that playing against Cam Newton would be so difficult because of how physical he was he’s big he’s physical Lamar Lamar is a pain to tackle he’s a pain to get your hands on he’s a pain to keep in the pocket but you you can get on him you can get him on the ground with Cam he’s running through you nowh no doubt Cam Newton a more dominant Runner than Lamar no doubt big man I mean big wins all the time big wins all the time they both have their limitations in terms of throwing but big wins all the time I I I agree with Luke on that completely Quinton Nelson said of Anthony Richardson recently on the bus in with the boys podcast he’s an absolute freak he’s weighing in after practice at like 250 PBS he’s ginormous no way or no doubt I’m throwing in an extra one that Richardson should be next in line as the top dual threat guy in the league what do you think I think he’s got a lot of Cam Newton in him in it but I think he throws the ball better than cam I think he throws it better than Cam and he’s got the same size as Cam he’s got Josh Allen like skill set now can he throw the ball as well as Josh developed himself to it I don’t know but when you when I first watched Richard said I thought he would be the first pick in the draft I thought it was risky to take him based off his level but I understand why they did it now can he stay on the field because cam played physical but he was durable until later on at least Richardson only four games into his rookie season we’ll be right back Mike Palm joining us coming up for the last half [Music] hour this is the Lombardi line with former NFL executive Michael Lombardi now here is your host stormy baton on VN the sports betting network if you like watching you’re listening to Vin you’ll love all of our betting tools and content that are also available at vn.com each and every day Best Bets from all of our Von show hosts and experts updated betting splits exclusive articles odds by States betting tools betting guides and so much more our NFL betting guide by the way out now everything you need to bet this upcoming season head to vn.com today your One-Stop shop for all things sports betting content alongside Michael lardi stormy Bond and Tony with you as we welcome in for the final half hour of the show like we do each and every Thursday Mike Palm VP of operations here at Circa Resort in casino busy morning afternoon early already for you Mike but welcome in yeah well we have Mountain West football media days here as you as you well know stormmy and so uh making the rounds I was on the network Mountain West Network yesterday and then doing the different cities uh Associated um with the different schools here fun as well lots of new faces I think only three returning starting quarterbacks and seven new coaches so a lot of turnover over and you’re the one that first pointed this out to me last week uh in the qualm segment on Friday about Boise they’re four to one here is all to make the playoffs oh wow yeah so but look you got a good point and I don’t think Liberty Liberty is the shortest shot at like plus 260 or 270 I don’t think the undefeated season gets them there after their poor Bowl performance and they have the easiest schedule in all of Club football again there’s nothing they they can Circle and say look what we did here I think Memphis is actually a bigger threat from the group of five but anyhow uh that could be exciting especially if Boise’s got a legitimate shot to be in the playoffs that’ll put some Eyes On That Mountain West championship game you know Mike I I think these teams that the the new teams that have entered and the Mountain West I I think to me like UNLV surprising year last year now they lost a lot of players but there’s always going to be some surprise team in there and I think you’re right about Memphis I think Memphis has kind of done a great job of recruiting hell they just got one of their first five star players ever for the 25 season so I I I think this is a program on the uprise you know Bill cramsey who’s uh one of our vice presidents of our directors of operation and he oversees the host Department longtime MGM uh bagio employee his brother is the offensive coordinator at Memphis uh and he won that award last year Michael best assistant coach in college football so we follow that team with special interest as well yeah they well and the thing for them too is they’re going to have an easier schedule with the updated version of the American Conference as well so maybe an easier road but what I was saying too earlier about Boise specifically is maybe having the more difficult schedule if they’re able to get through it especially because they do get two of those pack two teams both at home in Washington state and Oregon State the toughest game on their schedule by far is going to be Oregon but aside from that game they’re favorite in every other game and it’s on paper maybe a little bit more difficult so we’ll see no Fresno no Colorado state in the regular season they might meet one of those two teams in the conference Championship Game a little bit of a tricky spot here on a Friday night in Las Vegas uh mid October but yeah I mean they can go and be very credible people think Oregon will be a playoff team right they’ll give probably the best team to give Ohio State a run in the Big 10 they go to outson and lose by two touchdowns that’s very respectable uh and it’s week two as you pointed out so the voters not have a long memory even if it’s a really bad game you’re going to go back and say well that was the team then this is the team now which the committee has put a big emphasis on right an undefeated Florida State got left out because they said your team as it’s constructed now was not one of the best four Mike what do you think of I mean obviously everybody thinks Ohio State but what would you say could be the biggest challenge to Ohio State in the Big 10 or the whatever we want to call it the big 15 or whatever the hell it is I have no idea yeah um look I think it’s Oregon because Michigan’s Michigan lost everything right and I think they’ve got the right coach but that’s going to take a while there um of the of the existing teams maybe it’s Penn State not the teams coming in from the west but I think I rank Oregon a clear number two in the Big 10 right now I think these teams in different conferences are very interesting I I really believe Utah is the best team in the in the in the Big 12 uh and that they’ll win that and I people laugh at me when I say Texas has a shot to win the SEC I mean everybody I talk to says you’re not don’t keep saying that on air you sound like an idiot there’s no way they can come in the second shortest shot how does that there no way they’re going to come in there that’s a joke that they could compete with Georgia and Alabama and all and know I get so much GFF every time I talk about Texas um but that prop of will more than one and a half new teams in a conference win their conferences if you think Utah’s going to Wi you got a shot with Oregon right to to to win the Big 10 and I think you have a legitimate shot with Texas and and to your point about the Big 10 in Penn State one question that I had was okay Drew Aller back at quarterback is he going to be any better because I had very high hopes for him coming into last season turned into the Dink and duck Master he’s like the Derek Carr version of college football right now but they bring in Andy codl necki who was the offensive coordinator at Kansas the last few years and maybe if he can get the most out of him if they can be more competitive on what their you know two three game schedule is in the Big 10 um but anything else like big 12 media days were obviously here in Las Vegas as well anything else in the Big 12 outside of Utah being the favorite that stands out to you no not really uh did you see all the mascots took the picture in front they they were on free MTH we tried to get them in for a shot in the book but they they were so busy but they did take a shot in front of the front doors that s it was a great picture it was a really great picture so big 12’s interesting you get the new teams in there um I I keep waiting for Cleveland to do big things at Kansas state right and they’re always like knocking on the door knocking on the door but that consistency to run through that whole schedule I think it’s a very balanced League though I think like in the middle of of of this conference it’s very I mean even even from TCU all the way you know to the top I think there’s a very solid and deep probably the deepest conference when when you’re when you’re saying you’re going to have teams that are be both eligible I mean they really you really got eight or nine that are going to come out of here no question I mean look Arizona’s a good team they were last year they beat Oklahoma in a bowl game they say UCF if Central Florida is going to be really good I don’t think people realize how well-funded Central Florida is because of how big their student population is in terms of the the money they can generate and then you know I I I think when you look at it TCU was in the conference was playing for a championship two years ago and sunny dkes does a good job there so I think Texas Tech a sleeper here I really do I think Joey Maguire’s done a good job of recruiting I think it’s a hard place to play in lck I think they could be a sleeper in the Big 12 I think Iowa state will be better too yeah you know they went from being one of the most inexperienced teams last year that lost the most being one of the most experienced teams in college football so I’m no big Matt Campbell fan but I think Iowa state will be much improved as well and to go back to what you said about Kansas State too I do think it is good to note that just the year before last they did win the conference as a 14 to one long shot people didn’t expect them to do that and they’re very high on their Young quarterback Avery Johnson we didn’t really we had spot Duty last year but got his first start in the Pop-Tart bowl and lit it up and a lot of people are really excited about what potentially he could bring preseason win total for Kansas State it 9 and a half you are getting plus money on the over U I want to turn to a little bit of NFL talk here because I so disappointed I didn’t get to see no hyperbole this morning as I was driving in like I usually try to listen to but I heard you had a take on Dak Prescott and I’m very curious what that is well I I mean when people say things that are so on the surface implausible as if they’re going to wear a Walkin precautionary cuz they’re going to go deep sea diving and my ankle’s going to swell the ankle that I hurt that cost me a season 4 years ago why you know either that’s true and you’re an idiot to go deep sea diving again or or there’s some fire to this smoke right it’s one of those two things now maybe it’s nothing but why would you be no so nonsensical as to risk your whole career to go you have enough money you can do go do whatever hobby you want to do right you can go go anywhere you want to go do whatever hobby why would you ever put yourself in physical Jeopardy to do that yeah I I don’t disagree with that Mike and it’s in your contract if you get hurt outside of the building you know that’s a non-f football related injury and that’s what’s interesting about this is did this injury or did this happen thing whatever it is did it occur before he left or while he was at practice cuz we didn’t hear about him missing any practice time but I do think this if he shows up at the first practice and he’s on the field without a boot I think then it is a story about nothing however if he’s got a little limp to him and it’s and he’s got the arthritis in there he’s got to be really careful you know I want to get your take on this real quick Michael but I think the NFC East is the one division that I can bet the superfecta to put it in Mike Sage terms that I am very confident that the exact order of finish in that division is going to be Philadelphia Dallas Washington New York I think there’s almost equal gaps between the teams and I would say I would be less surprised if Washington finished second and Dallas third then I would be if New York finished third and Washington fourth your thoughts I I I agree completely I think everything we’ve seen on Hard Knox tells me the Giants have a tough road ahead and if you talk to anybody in and around their team they know it I mean they know it it’s not going to be an easy Road I know they talk positively oh Brian Burns is a differenc maker we’ll find out I I think Washington’s added a lot of pieces I don’t know how it’s all going to come together Jaden Daniels if he doesn’t stay healthy and gets hurt early and they go to Mariota they could finish fourth easily because they’ll have no quarterback but I do think Dallas is really looking up at Philly I think Philly is the best team I think Philly offers competition to San Francisco for the for the right to play for the NFC I think they’re one of those good teams along with Detroit M Michael we went on vacation last week up to Utah camping one day we went up to Bryce Canyon and we were standing there taking pictures you know and my wife’s trying to take a picture of me and the three kids so this couple comes up and volunteers you know to take the family picture and then my wife took a pi but the guy had a New York Giants hat on so when we were I said did the kid say Daniel Jones and he said no don’t on that note we’ll be back Palms pressing three coming up as we wrap up this Thursday edition of the Lombardi [Music] Line This is the Lombardi line with former NFL executive Michael Lombardi now here is your host stormmy batony on VN the sports betting Network welcome back to V then make this NFL season your best ever with our allnew vent NFL betting guide the guides jam-packed with everything you need to bet the NFL smarter this season with in-depth previews of all 32 teams win total projections for each new quarterback and new head coach breakdowns Super Bowl predictions a prop Betting Guide plus of course future bets in all of the awards markets whether you’re a season better or you’re just getting started our NFL betting guide is your ticket to smarter more informed bets ahead of the Season head to von.com guu to get your copy today that’s VSS i n /gu and now it’s time for the moment you have all been waiting for Palms pressing three pressing yes I say it’s pressing pring pressing nothing this is Palms pressing three my mother told me never to answer a question with a question sir my client has answered every question asked by this committee with the utmost sincerity all right Michael number one the VIN NFL guide which you and stormmy promote so beautifully projects the NFC South as a two-horse race between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Michael are three-time defending division champs they eliminated the reigning NFC champ Philadelphia Eagles in a Wild Card round game and have every right to win their divisional game at Ford Field are the vent experts correct in dismissing the Culver house Clan uh I’m not sure we are uh I think to me Atlanta’s overvalued I’ve been saying that all off season cuz here let’s put things in really good perspective they were the third best team last year the Atlanta Falcons in third down defense they were the fourth best team in red zone defense now can Raheem Morris correct those things and make them better I find that hard to believe particularly since they’ve added no players on defense and Grady Jarrett’s coming off in ACL so I don’t know where they get their improvement from everybody thinks well Arthur Smith was a horrible offensive coordinator okay maybe he was they have no speed on offense their longest pass play was 75 yards Tyler Tyson alers screen pass 71 yards screen pass B Robinson 60 yards screen pass to jonu Smith they can’t make a play down the field they have no Team Speed offensively is cousins going to improve that I find that hard to believe look New Orleans is not getting any love because we all don’t trust David Rory M Rory uh I mean Ricky Fowler Carr I mean we don’t trust him because we know if his pressure is on he won’t play good but when it’s off he’s great so New Orleans goes into Tampa last year and just butt whips him in week 17 they get no love Tampa goes and beats Philly has Detroit down to the wire Camp almost beats them I just think to me no one wants to give Todd BS credit here’s the other Factor about Tampa that’s fascinating for two years in a row with Tom Brady and without Tom Brady they have finished 32nd in the National Football League and yards rushing per attempt and yards gain rushing they’ve been a one-dimensional offense and if they can change that they’ll be a tough team are you leted into my second question so let’s stay in the NFC South I want to talk about Kurt Cousins and the Falcons and S for you to get inside of Kurt cousin’s head Minnesota either offered him one or two years it depends on conflicting reports and if it was two how much was guaranteed we really don’t know obviously the Falcons offered him more four years and more money he also knew if he stayed in Minnesota they were drafting a quarterback for their succession plan to him well a funny thing happens on the Way to the Forum he takes the deal in Atlanta and they draft Michael pennick knowing what he knows now that he could have stayed in Minnesota with all those weapons for another year or two and perhaps gotten a even larger contract somewhere else how much do you think cousins regrets coming to Atlanta and will that affect his performance this year I think anytime you’ve been lied to or not told the truth you always regret where you go right I mean one thing about the National Football League and running a business it it doesn’t take much to be honest just be upfront about it just straight out say it you know talk about it and I think he was he wasn’t in tune to the fact that they were even thinking about drafting penck I mean why would you be has there ever been a team that spend $100 million on a quarterback and then drafts one the very next day of course not money usually dictates what you do so he was completely caught off guard now he’s got this guy looking over his shoulder and you know if the offense doesn’t go well we know there’s going to be people wanting to play C penck because well who’s the most important guy on every team to the fans the backup quarterback so you’ve just created a situation meanwhile you’ve done nothing to help a defense see Atlanta thinks they’re really good Atlanta thinks they’re a CH they think everything that was wrong with their team was Arthur Smith’s fault and I would say to you Mike that I think Arthur Smith did a good job he was really good offensive coordinator I think Ryan Nelson did a good job defensively like I don’t no matter how good Raheem Morris or Zack Robinson become next year I don’t think they can duplicate what what Arthur Smith and Ryan Nelson did I don’t see how they win eight games and then Jimmy lake is the defensive cordinator too I mean how much do we really trust this Terry Fontano Leed Brain Trust in Atlanta it’s a big question I think Super Bowl winning GM Terry excuse me Michael my apologies my apologies I do understand why they’re the favorite in the division but odds on is a bit of a Runway we’ve called this a dartboard type division it feels like it could really go Any Which Way in the top three at times let me follow up Michael with Atlanta with you um because obviously you’re very close with Bill and worked with him you know they weren’t the only team that didn’t choose Bill to coach them next year there were what six openings in the League this year y are they the team though that deserves the most blame for not or do all teams deserve an equal share of passing on Bill well it’s ridiculous that all teams did pass on Bill situations obviously dictated but I think what irritates me more about Atlanta is the ridiculous statement that the Super Bowl winning GM Terry fno leaked to the media about how they had three better uh options as a as a head coach than belich I mean I to me don’t insult my intelligence now look B the only reason belich got involved with Atlanta was because he was assured by people in Atlanta that rich McKay wasn’t going to be involved in the business and what happened from the minute he went to Arthur Smith Arthur blank’s yacht in the Bahamas was rich McKay orchestrated this whole Raheem Morris because from day one rich McKay wanted rahee Morris to be his head coach that’s fact and so they lied about what their real interests were what they basically did was they said Hey Arthur you humor yourself with this bellich guy we’ll work behind the scenes to make sure that he doesn’t get in here because we know you don’t want to make any changes and that’s what they did all right question three the Houston Texans played all their games but one in the 1 pm. Eastern Time block last year now they go from being the hunters to the hunted with Prime Time games heightened expectations and increased scrutiny how does an organization adjust to those changing conditions think it’s hard Mike it’s a challenge it’s like any business to go from good to great right you know right there they’re they’re an incomplete pass away from not making the playoffs to to completing the to the the the Colts not completing it and they do and look they deserve a ton of credit they improve the quarterback but they are now going to be on everybody’s radar no one’s going to take them lightly going into the season see I think we as fans one of the things that makes the NFL so exciting and so fun to watch is the games are so close week in and week out and part of the reason they’re so close is because there is kind of a an InCentric way to where oh we’re playing at Atlanta this week they’re not very good we don’t really it won’t be that hard of a game and all of a sudden it becomes a hard game right but when you play good on good it’s not and I think what Houston has to do is raise their level of play this is a team that lost to the Carolina Panthers off of a byee the Panthers came in off of a bye they lost to them so there’s a thin line here that you’ve got to be able to maintain and they did a great job in the kicking game I think that’s one of the untold stories about this Houston Texans team they were very good in the kicking game they made plays in that are area and I think that really helped their team but they will be the hunted one they will face a higher higher level of performance from their opponents than they’ve ever seen yeah I’m right there with you and especially to this Young quarterback who had such a successful rookie season now there’s a full year of tape on him they do have a first place schedule in this spot it’s going to be more difficult but maybe you can do what the Detroit Lions did last year for example they entered this past season with different level of expectations they built on it and ultimately made an NFC Championship run they they’re in a similar position though of taking that another step from good to great great and seeing if they can go on and make a Super Bowl run but I see it that way I think Detroit’s a little different in that you have a veteran quarterback in Goff who’s a really steady guy you have a lot of players former players as coaches I think they were in a better spot to kind of handle this being thrust into the spotlight and now in a really tough spot having had a 17-point second half lead in the NFC Championship Game and not been able to close the deal Campbell said it right right after the game it’s going to be really hard to get back to that spot again yeah it is I think it is and I think he knows that what got us to the championship game we have to improve and increase now give Detroit credit unlike Atlanta who basically brings the same team back as a year before Detroit went out and spent money and got pieces to help their defense to go along with what they did last year so you could sit there and say okay they’ve improved their roster Atlanta all you’re saying is we lost because Desmond Ritter St right although even though we put out a press release saying we didn’t want Lamar Jackson don’t forget that I mean this is a ridiculous I mean they just keep every time you turn around they just look stupider and stupider just dig a bigger hole with the Lions thing I was more so thinking like organizational failure in terms of not winning the division not having done anything it was very different level of the way people were thinking about Detroit last year that’s a wrap for us huge thank you to Mike Palm Mike Sage for joining us as well for Michael ardi I’m stormy Bond and Tony sharp money coming up next on Vin Pablo T finds out on Kings [Music] Network bonus bets instantly this baseball season DraftKings
